Windmill for advertising and developing power



March 24, 1936. w. M. HOLLAND FOR ADVERTISING AND DEVELOPING POWER WINDMILL Filed June 30, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 1 arch w. M. HOLLAND WINDMILL FOR ADVERTISING AND DEVELOPING POWER -5 sheets-sheet 2 *N mm. m

Filed Jgne 50, 1933 dH'Ol nu L 1935- w. M. HOLLAND 2,03,833'

WINDM ILL FOR ADVERTISING AND DEVELOPING POWER Filed June 50,1953 SSheets-Sheet 3 I 4 34 i (J.

5/ 3/? /A\ %LUI i3 3 W $2 A 45 2f 22 M 16 17 Z3 M F\\ 4a W fiaiimd.

Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF'IQE WINDMILL FOR ADVERTISING AND DEVELOPING POWER This invention relates to a windmill and it aims to provide a multiplicity of vanes or blades which function as advertising means and also to produce motion under the action of the wind.

A particular object is to provide novel vanes which may have advertising matter on both sides thereof and which are rotatable in order to present various combinations of advertising signs or data.

Another object is to provide a novel construction which will permit the use in whole or in part, especially as regards the gearing and shafting, parts of old or junk automobiles, in order to minimize the cost of manufacture.

The more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:-

Figure l is a view in side elevation-showing my improved windmill;

Figure 2 is a plan view of said windmill;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail partly in plan 25 and partly in section, showing the gearing for causing rotation of the vanes;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic detail disclosing the structure of Figure 3 with the frame as a whole rotated through 180 degrees;

Figure 4 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 4& of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view primarily in vertical section, showing the drive gearing and shafting;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through the differential; and I Figure '7 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the drive.

Referring specifically to the drawings, l0 desig- 40 nates a suitable skeleton frame of wood, metal,

or other material, and of any appropriate size,

carrying blades or vanes at H mounted on shafts l2 which are journaled in the frame Ill for rotation on vertical axes. Although four of the vanes 45 are shown, any desired number may be used.

Such vanes are adapted to have advertising mat- -ter delineated on one or both sides thereof as preferred, so that the different signs and combinations thereof will come into view during ro- 50 tation. Such vanes, however, always bear the relative angular relation shown in Figure 2 so as to be broadside with respect to and to point into the wind most advantageously.

In addition to the vanes ll having a rotary 65 movement on their axes 12, the frame l0 also bodily rotates on a vertical axis, being rigid with a shaft or axle as at l3. Power is derived. through the impingement of the air upon .the said vanes H, in order to rotate the said frame.

The frame carries a wheel like support M, as a I rigid part thereof and journaled therein is an upright shaft l5 whose axis is coincident with that of the shaft l3. Keyed to shaft I5 is a spur gear Wheel it with which are enmeshed planetary gear wheels ll journaled as at 18, in turn with which gear wheels ll are enmeshed large planetary gear wheels IS. The gear Wheels l9 are rigid on suitably journaled shafts 20. Said shafts Zll have cranks 2 l which are pivoted at'ZZ to pitmen 23, in'turn pivoted at 24 to cranks 25, 25', 25" and 25 on the aforesaid shafts l2. As a result, the rotation of the frame ill rotates the vanes l I in an orbit and the gearing causes said vanes to rotate on their individual axes. Said cranks 2| and 2| are always pointed in parallel directions and their directions are reversed at each revolution of the frame so that the wind blows against one side of the vane at the end of one revolution of the frame and against the other side of the frame at the end of the next revolution. Also, cranks 25 and 25" are always pointed in parallel directions, while cranks 25' and 25 are always pointed in parallel directions. The devicethus serves as a windmill for generation of power and also as an effective advertising medium in view of the different signs and advertising surfaces and combinations thereof which are brought into view. The parts described thus constitute a mill.

Shaft l3 being driven by the mill, drives gearing 2 6, asbest shown in Figure '7, the aligned shaft lil being :held from rotation by any suitable means such as bar [3 that may be fixed in any suitable manner, in turn driving a horizontal shaft .2] -which is releasably coupled in any suitable manner as at 28, to a power take-off shaft 29. Such shaft 29 may have a pulley 30 thereon, for example, adapted to drive a generator, magneto or any other work desired.

A governor and weather-vane construction is employed in connection with the device to afford additional advertising surfaces and to govern the speed of operation of the mill, the same being thrown into and out of gear automatically and particularly maintaining the speed below a predetermined minimum. To this end, a beam 3| is journaled on the upper portion of the shaft l5, having an arrow 32 at one end, and a vane 33 at the other end. Such beam and vane at opposite sides thereof may contain advertising data or signs so that the maximum surface may be used for advertising purposes. A gear device 34 is in part connected to the beam 3| and in part connected to the shaft I 5. Said device has gears 34' and 34", the former being rigid with shaft I5 and the latter gear being rotatable on said shaft 15. Below a predetermined velocity of rotation, the position of shaft I5 is fixed relative to beam 3| and gear device 34; and above such velocity, the centrifugal force on members 49 will cause rods 46 to slide yoke 42 downward on shaft I5, thus rocking L-shaped arm 49 at pivot 4|, pulling rod 39,rod 38, crank 35 and turning shaft which is keyed to the only spider gear of differential in use for operative purposes of mill, thereby causing shaft 5 to be turned slightly relative to gear device 34 and beam 3|, thus changing position of spur gear I5 and its associated gears, which determines the position of vanes I relative to the wind current.

A link or connecting rod 39 is pivoted to lever 31 and also to a bell crank lever 40 pivoted at 4|, to a part of the beam 3| and in turn operatively connected to a yoke 42 engaging in a groove of a collar 43 which is vertically slidable along the shaft |5. To said collar, links or connecting rods 44 are pivoted at 45 and in turn they are pivoted at 46 to hell crank levers 41 pivoted at 48 on the frame ID. The levers 41 carry weights at 49. Such Weights 49 may be discarded pistons suitably filled or weighted with lead or other metal or material. The difierential 34 is normally held in position on beam 3|, that is, the case of the differential is bolted to beam 3|. The shaft I5 is held in position normally relative to gear device case 34 and beam 3| by the weight of members 49 and their associated rods. The members 49 are of a predetermined weight so that such members 49 will operate through centrifugal force as the mill rotates, in order to slide the sleeve 42 on the shaft l5 and actuate the pivoted L-shaped arm 40, and rod 39, lever 31, rod 36, thus turning shaft 35 and its associated spider gear roller, which is meshed with upper axle gear 34' of said gear device 34, which is keyed to shaft I5. This mill can be made to run in reverse order by disjoining crank 35 from rod 36 and turning said crank one complete revolution, then rejoin or refasten crank 35 to rod 36.

The shaft I3, gearing 26, shaft 21 and associated parts may be conveniently housed as at 50. The frame I0 carries a drum 5| in which a normally contracted brake band 52 is disposed. Operating means 53 are provided for the brake band in order to expand the same against the drum 5|, in an emergency, to stop the rotation and operation of the mill.

Drum 5| is rigid with a wheel 54, for instance, that wheel to which the drum is attached on the automobile, and which element 54 in the present invention is a mounting for frame I 9 and shaft I3.

Obviously the device may be made from specially manufactured parts. However, in use I find that it can advantageously and inexpensively be made at least to a large extent from gearing and parts of discarded and junked automobiles. To this end, the parts I3, 5|, 53, 26 and 2'1, may be the propeller shaft and rear end part of a Chevrolet Model 490. In fact the part 28 may be brake drums from the same automobile or another. Likewise, the shaft I5 may be an axle from an automobile, for instance, a Ford Model T. The differential 34 may be parts taken from the same Model T Ford automobile. The gears I6 and I! may also be parts of the Ford planetary transmission gearing.

It is obvious that the device may be mounted on any desired support or structure. For instance, a special stand or platform may be used it may be secured on or within the roof of a dwelling, store, garage or other building, on a fence or otherwise.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mill of the classdescribed having a rotat able frame, vanes journaled on said frame adapted to be driven by the wind, means operableto cause rotation of the vanes relatively to the frame during rotation of the frame, said means including a shaft rising from the frame, planetary gearing connected to the shaft, crank and pitman means connecting the planetary gearing and vanes, a vane journaled on said shaft, gearing at the top of said shaft positioning the last mentioned vane, and governor means operable by the rotation of the frame to control the operation of said last mentioned gearing.

2.- A mill of the class described having a rotatable frame, vanes journaled on said frame adapted to be driven by the wind, means operable to cause rotation of the vanes relatively to the frame during rotation of the frame, said means including a shaft rising from the frame, planetary gearing connected to the shaft, crank and pitmen means connecting the planetary gearing and vanes, a vane journaled on said shaft, gearing at the top of said shaft positioning the last mentioned vane, governor means operable by the rotation of the frame to control the operation of said last mentioned gearing, including a sleeve slidable on the shaft between the last mentioned vane and said planetary gearing, weighted elements to control the sliding of the sleeve, and lever and link mechanism operated by the sleeve and connected to the gearing.

WYLIE M. HOLLAND. 

